This was sent via Laurel Ridge updates on March 6, 2026.
The Department of Human Resources Management has revised Policy 4.35: Leave Sharing
Background:
It is the policy of the Commonwealth to permit eligible employees who have exhausted available leave balances to receive pay by using annual leave hours donated to them by other employees.
Highlights of the revised Policy 4.35 include, but are not limited to:
- The requirement for an employee to be in a Leave without Pay status and or eligible for FMLA to be approved to use Leave Share is removed. However, an employee’s use of donated leave will run concurrently with FMLA if eligible.
- Eligibility for Leave Share requires:
- Completion and submission of a Leave Share request with Medical Certification form for the employee or their dependent child, parent, or spouse.
- Exhaustion of available leave balances.
- Responsibilities for the Agency and for the employee are outlined.
- Agencies may continue to require an unpaid waiting period of up to two weeks before permitting leave share donations.
- The ability to use Leave Share intermittently or for an extended period remains available. Intermittent use will require the employee to exhaust their leave balances.
- VSDP-participating employees must file a Short-Term Disability claim and fully comply with the VSDP program requirements and procedures for their own medical condition.
- Intermittent Leave Share usage is also applicable to supplement the employee’s percentage of income replacement during the short-term disability claim, provided the employee uses the annual leave that is accrued during the 90-day period of leave accruals. Employees may not save the accrued leave while using donated leave. See the example on page 3 of the policy.
- The maximum number of Leave Share hours that may be donated and/or used by an employee within a leave year is 480 hours. Agencies are not required to approve the full 480 hours and may award a donation balance equivalent to the recovery duration cited by the treating medical practitioner. See the example on page 4 of the policy.
- Unused Leave Share donations will expire if not used within 125 workdays from the effective date of the leave share event. Unused leave share donations may not be transferred to other leave share recipients. Agencies may not create a leave share bank.
- Agencies must accept leave share donations from classified and probationary employees within their agencies. Donations from employees assigned to other agencies that follow the DHRM Annual Leave policy may be accepted only when insufficient leave donations are received within the agency.
- Once awarded, leave share donations are non-refundable to the leave donors. Leave donors must donate leave in 8-hour increments and must retain a minimum annual leave balance of 40 hours
- See pages 6 and 7 of the policy for the impact on benefits to the recipients of leave share.
- See page 9 of the policy for penalties for abuse of the Leave Share program.
Resources and Support:
DHRM Policy 4.35 and the respective Leave Share forms are revised on the DHRM website. The Leave Share Request form for Employees is updated to include a medical certification and a separate form for Family-related Leave Share. The Leave Share Donor Form is also updated. For further assistance with leave share, please contact HRteam@laurelridge.edu.
Future Steps:
In alignment with the One System approach, the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) CHROs will review and develop systemwide policy and procedures. Laurel Ridge HR will be closely monitoring so that the Laurel Ridge Community College practices are in alignment with both DHRM and VCCS.